Failed Attempts to Fly
by Azaelia Gamgee-Took
Summary: A glimpse of happiness. Unbreakable friendship tried by the torturous hands of fate. Traitors seeking to shred the innocent lives of all those around them. Some will survive, but some will not. Who's to blame for the lives these tragedies claim?


A/N: READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE FOR PITY'S SAKE.  
Thank you.  
Now... I sincerely hope that the actual fic is better than the summary... the title's alright, I think... I can never write summaries, though. This fic is highly based on opinion, so go ahead and flame me if you don't agree. I'll laugh and flame you back, chances are. This is definitely not a oneshot, should be extremely long... but only if you like it, because there's no point continuing a bad fanfic. o.o [End A/N]

"Lily, you realize this is the happiest day of my life."

Lily Evans blushed as she offered a hand to the kneeling young man in front of her. "I don't know about that. I expect you'll have happier days than this one. After all, you've got a great deal of your life in front of you."

The young man got to his feet, sub-consciously running a hand through his hair and causing a few leaves to flutter toward the earth and come to rest on the bright green lawn. "No I won't. It would be absolutely impossible for me to ever feel this happy again... Oh, Lily, it would be impossible for anyone to ever feel as happy as I am right now! I'm going to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, the girl I've loved my whole life!" He pulled her into his arms and kissed her quickly. "You've no idea how I'm... I want to dance... run, jump... tell the world... she agreed! She said yes!"

Lily laughed. "You're either as happy as you say you are, or out of your mind. It sounds like somewhere along the road of your education, someone forgot to teach you to form sentences."

The young man's hazel eyes sparkled with joy as he took her hand in his. "You won't regret this, Lily. You've made me the happiest man alive... I'll make you the happiest woman who ever lived, or ever will!" He kissed her again, then gazed into the distance, as though trying to remember something. "Moony and Padfoot! I told them I'd be there!" he exclaimed suddenly, letting go of her hand and beginning to race off. He stopped after a few yards, turned around, and yelled, "I love you, Lily Evans!" Then he turned and kept running, jumping into the air, pumping his fist, and cheering like a little boy at Christmas.

Lily laughed again, her emerald eyes glittering as she watched him go. "And I love you, James Potter."

Sirius Black threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Prongs! You asked Lily to marry you? And she said she would!" He let out another round of bark-like laughter. "And here I've spent all these years thinking she was a bright girl!"

Remus Lupin smiled at his friend and reached over to give him a one-armed hug. "I'm glad for you, Prongs. You've certainly been crazy about her for long enough. Glad things finally worked out."

James paced around the living room of Remus' house, a faraway, dazed expression on his face. "Yeah, me too... things finally worked out..." He turned to face his friends and smiled. "I've been planning this day for a long time. Lily probably doesn't realize it, but this is the 12th anniversary of the first time I ever saw her. The Evanses used to be our next-door neighbors, you know... moved in when I was 10 years old. June 4th..." Sirius roared with laughter again, and there was a slightly amused smile on Remus' face. "I wanted to tell you both that I was going to ask her. But I figured that if she said no, I could always just leave it at that, and not have to ever say anything about it."

Now Remus laughed. "Prongs! Can you imagine the look on your face if she turned you down? You'd walk around looking like this," he pulled a face that made it look as though someone had been using the Crucio curse on him, "for months! And you think we wouldn't know something was up?" Sirius joined in his laughter, though he couldn't help noticing the catch in Remus' voice.

James smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Yes, well, the point is that she said yes."

Sirius smirked. "Did you get down on one knee? Give her a ring and everything?"

James flushed even more. "If you must know, I did kneel. But I, er... I didn't have a ring. Couldn't afford one." Remus nodded sympathetically, but Sirius merely laughed again. "I can imagine what you told her." He continued in what was an uncanny impression of James' voice: "Lily, darling, as soon as I have a penny to my name, you'll have the finest ring money can buy."

James frowned with pretended defiance. "That's exactly what I told her, actually."

Sirius continued to laugh so hard he could barely breathe, until Remus reached over and hit him upside the head. "Oh, shut up, Padfoot." He then turned to James and gave him an encouraging smile. "Good for you, mate. Seems like you finally learned how to charm a lady," he added with a soft, almost sad smile.

Sirius nodded. "I'll say! Why don't I have as much luck?" He shook his head and gave an over-exaggerated sigh. "Oh well, you always were the lucky one, Prongs. Now then!" He rubbed his hands together jovially. "I think this is plenty enough cause for celebration! Say, Moony, got any champagne around here? Or firewhisky?"

Remus cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry mate, fresh out of firewhisky... but champagne we've got." He disappeared momentarily and when he reentered the room he was carefully balancing three glasses and a bottle of champagne. When the champagne had been distributed, Remus raised his glass and cleared his throat importantly. "To James and Lily Potter."

"And if at all possible, may the latter never come to regret her horrible mistake," added Sirius.

James laughed and drank, then glanced around the room as a sudden realization hit him. "Say... where's Wormtail?"

Remus frowned. "I sent him an owl, told him we were going to get together today. I was sure he'd come. But he sent a return owl saying he couldn't... something about his being horribly busy, and how he'd love to be here but circumstances simply wouldn't allow... though he may have come if you'd told us why you were so anxious to get together, Prongs."

James smiled apologetically. "I already said I was sorry." Then he frowned slightly, staring out the open window. "You know, I had a feeling he wouldn't come. I don't know why," he added as Sirius stared at him. "It's just one of those weird feelings... like the time I had a hunch that Snivellus would be up to something, so we made sure to stay out of the common room the whole day and we were the only Gryffindors not locked in the tower. And then we went and did the Bat Bogey hex on him and he had great, huge bats flapping around his face so that he couldn't see more than a foot in front of him!"

Remus and Sirius laughed, and Sirius added, "D'you remember what he did when he finally got rid of the bats (it certainly took him long enough)? The stupid great git, he thought he could get back at us..." And soon the three friends were immersed in memories of a time passed.

Remus got to his feet with a sigh and bent to collect his and Sirius' glasses.

"Hey now, who said I was finished?" asked Sirius, grabbing it before Remus could take it away. I was about to ask for a refill, if you don't mind." Remus shrugged and smiled—a smile Sirius saw right through. Something was wrong.

He cleared his throat and set his glass back on the table. "So... Prongs and Lily set to tie the knot. Finally." He watched Remus' face closely. "I'm happy for them. Aren't you, Moony?"

Remus nodded absently, his eyes glued to the floor. "Yes... happy for them. James has wanted this for... quite some time."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, he has. But then... he's not the only one in our year who was looking at Lily Evans, was he, Remus?"

Remus glanced up sharply. "Padfoot, I don't know what you're talking about. Look... I've got some, er... I've got things to do. You'd... maybe you'd better..."

Sirius got to his feet. "Yeah, okay. I'm leaving. I never did get that refill, though." He started to leave, then stopped with his hand on the doorknob. "I'm sorry, mate. Really, I am. But you know... she did secretly have her eye on him. There'll be one for you." The door shut behind him with a bang.

..._The reason Prongs wanted us to get together is that he had a rather exciting announcement to make: he's getting married! And you'll never guess who the "lucky" girl is. Actually, you probably will, considering it's James... he proposed to Lily yesterday morning, just before we had our get-together. Apparently it was the 12th anniversary of the first time he ever saw her. Isn't it just like James to remember something like that? _

_And he couldn't afford a ring... are you as shocked as I am? He's promised her one as soon as he "has a penny to his name." It looks as though poor Lily will be waiting a while. _

_We're all rather excited for him... We wish you could've been there to celebrate with us yesterday, though. We had a great time. Oh, well. Maybe next time, eh?_

_Take care of yourself._

Moony

Peter folded the letter and half-smiled to himself. "James and Lily to be married... How extraordinary. I've been wondering when he would propose... and he has, finally. Can't help wondering how Moony really feels about that..." He pulled a piece of parchment and a quill from a drawer in his desk and quickly scribbled a return letter for the owl to take back with him.

_Moony,_

_James proposed to Lily! How wonderful for them both! Well, wonderful for James anyway. I'm afraid I have to question Lily's judgment in the matter. And the poor girl, having to wait for a ring... until James has a penny to his name... and just how long are we expecting that to be? Poor Lily. And perhaps... poor you, as well?_

_I really couldn't have gotten away yesterday to come and meet with you all... I've been dreadfully busy, you know how it is...but do tell Prongs I wish him the best, and say hello to Padfoot for me, will you?_

Wormtail

He attached the letter to the owl's outstretched leg and watched as it flew out of sight. "Yes... tell Prongs I wish him the best."

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Another Author's Note!  
This is probably not as good as Beyond Repair. School just started and things are hectic, so bear with me if it takes a while to get the next bit up... and please review and tell me if it's even worth continuing. Constructive criticism, please!


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